Picture Crazy

**FYI -- I made the photos smaller this time to save space. You can click on the photos if you want to see them bigger.**

So proud of her Daddy
After he was installed as a deacon in our church on Father's Day.

Curly Girl
Courtesy of Grandma and Auntie Lexi. Doesn't she look like she could be in the Wizard of Oz? NO need to agree...only a mother can say something like this and not be offended! :o)

Sleepy Time
So peaceful. And, yes, she sleeps with her butt up in the air...

Book Worm
She loves her books so much, I wonder sometimes if she thinks she can read!

Shhhhh, Mommy
What's the secret? Maybe it's that she was going to get a fever just two hours later that still hasn't gone away -- hence, the tired eyes...

Sweet Blink
I know her eyes are closed in this one, but for some reason I just love this picture. The bow, her eyelashes...it just makes her look like such a little girl. My little sweet pea!

Our Family Bubble

Okay, so those of you who aren't part of my family will probably gag over this post, but so what. The fact is Jeff, Emma, and I are very blessed to have such a great family. Sure, we have our disfunctional moments, but we love spending time with them and (I think) the feeling is mutual. At least it is when it comes to Emma -- that I can say with certainty. The attention and love she gets is overwhelming -- maybe even a little bit sickening.

She has absolutely no idea how fortunate she is -- she just takes all those hugs, cuddles, kisses, and adoring eyes for granted. But, really, why shouldn't she? Isn't that the way the world is supposed to be? Shouldn't we all expect to receive nothing but pure love from one another?

I believe Emma is in her own little heaven right now. A place full of comfort, security, joy, peace, and, yes, I'll say it one more time, love. A place where no one around will hurt her -- or let anyone else hurt her. And she trusts that this is the way life is -- the way God wants it to be.

I wish I could somehow put her in a bubble so that she never knows any differently. But we all know that isn't realistic, and I guess the world would say it would be "wrong" to shelter her from the evil in this world. She needs to learn hard lessons to "make it" in this world, right? A few years ago, I probably would have agreed. Sheltering your children is a HORRIBLE thing...or is it? I don't know about you, but I have absolutely no desire to put Emma out there in the "real world," where there are mean girls, selfish boys, hateful adults and others that will bring pain to her tiny heart. No, I want her here, in my arms, protected from all of that. I don't want to dry tears from a broken heart. I don't want to explain why someone would intentionally make her feel unloved. She deserves better. We all do.

Thankfully, my Emma will get to experience her heaven again, and when she does, it will be forever. As a Christian, I've always been grateful for that promise, but now, as a mom, I have more peace and happiness than I ever knew was possible knowing that this promise not only pertains to me, but my daughter.

No, I can't protect her from the sin in this world, but I can tell her all about the heaven that awaits her and the Father that will give her more hugs and kisses than she could ever imagine. My prayer is that she is willing to accept that gift when the time comes.

For now, she'll have to settle for the circle of love our family has created for her. I, for one, couldn't ask for more. Love you all!

Just the two of us


In awe of her Daddy


Group shot! (Um, Emma, I said, "Group shot!"…)


Aren't we cute?!!


Stylin' in Auntie Sha's shades


So proud of her uncle!


Awwww!


The reason my mom has gray hair…

Luvin' on Papa




Is that a halo hangin' over Jeff's head, or is it me????


The prettiest blue eyes you'll ever see

A mother (and Father's) love

Here's one of those e-mail forwards I actually stopped to read...and I'm glad I did. What a wonderful reminder of the love we have for our children, and more importantly, the love God has for us as His children. After all, He died for us!

===============

After a forest fire in Yellowstone National Park, the forest rangers began their trek up a mountain to assess the inferno's damage.

One ranger found a bird literally petrified in ashes, perched statuesquely on the ground at the base of a tree.

Somewhat sickened by the eerie sight, he knocked over the bird with a stick. When he gently struck it, three tiny chicks scurried from under their dead mother's wings.

The loving mother, keenly aware of impending disaster, had carried her offspring to the base of the tree and had gathered them under her wings, instinctively knowing that the toxic smoke would rise.

She could have flown to safety but had refused to abandon her babies. Then the blaze had arrived and the heat had scorched her small body. 'the mother had remained steadfast. She had been willing to die, so those under the cover of her wings would live.

"He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge."
(Psalm 91:4)

10 Months and 2 Days... but I'm not counting!

So I should have posted this a few days ago, but honestly, Emma's 10-month mark came up on me quick. Maybe it's denial...my baby is NOT inching closer to that 1-year mark!

Well, of course she is, and she is letting me know every day as she progresses at the speed of light. The latest: Tooth number 3 is here and number 4 has been painfully peeking through these last few days. And, no, they're not the front two top teeth, they are her top eye teeth. Crazy, eh? I really shouldn't be so surprised. We do things EMMA's way, 'member?

She also has decided to start walking. Well, sort of. She is now taking at least 5 or 6 steps alone and will walk (very) short distances all by herself. I feel pretty confident that she'll be good at this walking thing in a matter of weeks, so stay tuned. AND PRAY. I can barely keep up with her now.

A few stories to bring you into our busy little life...
1. Emma is crazy about cabinets, so I loaded one of them with tupperware so she could get her fix. Safe, right? Not when your little scavenger manages to find and take apart the food processor you have never used, locate its blade, pull it out, and hand it to you as if saying, "Mom, I really shouldn't be holding this thing that will chop my tongue in half. Here you go." 'Nuf said.

2. Ever the explorer, keeping Emma contained is pretty difficult. But I needed to get work done the other day, so I brought her Pack-n-Play into our extremely small office where she could safely play no more than 2 inches away from me. She usually hates playing in this little cage, but this time, it seemed to work. As I typed away with my back to her, she was quiet and appeared happy. That is until I hear the choking going on behind me. And there I see what was making her so happy -- the plant she somehow reached and decided to eat, leaf by leaf. I managed to retrieve the leaf in her mouth and the five others that were now decorating the floor of the Pack-n-Play, but I guess I'll never know if she actually swallowed any death greens. I'm sure her diaper will let me know the answer to that one.

So, no, I won't be winning any Mother of the Year awards anytime soon. And I can't even imagine what will happen when walking becomes second nature. She's already managed to get two small bumps on her head from trying to perfect her new skills. Do they make foam body suits for busy little girls? If you know of any, please let me know. I'll take two!

I Had to Share...

Whoever said that college kids are self-centered hasn't met my brother Johnny and his girlfriend Stefanie. These two have been in love with Emma since the first day she was born and have stopped at nothing to show her (and me!) just how much they care. Between EXTREMELY generous gifts and visits every time they possibly could manage it, these two are absolutely amazing.

Now, this is not to say that other aunties, uncles, and grandparents haven't been just as amazing, because they have been. We are more than blessed with how much love this little girl receives on a daily basis...

However, this post is devoted to Johnny and Stef because this time they out-did themselves. While visiting for THEIR college graduation, they gave me the most precious Mother's Day gift. In the midst of finals, packing, and everything else they needed to before graduating, they put together the sweetest video slideshow of our little Emma. Hopefully you are all able to view it okay. It is truly one of the most thoughtful gifts I have ever received. Enjoy -- and get out the Kleenex!

(If you can't play the below window, try clicking here )

Mission: Walk

As I'm sure you've all guessed (and read on this blog MANY times), Emma is a busy little girl -- constantly moving and wiggling since day one. Well, lately it seems she's getting sick of this crawling thing and is ready for bigger and better things. All you people aren't on all fours, so why should she be?

No, she's not walking...not yet at least. Trust me, I don't want to rush things, but she is really going for those steps lately. She can barely stand without holding on to something, but I think a lot of that is because she won't take the two seconds to stand still and catch her balance! :o) She took FIVE STEPS to Jeff the other day. And they were good and sturdy. We know it was a fluke, but since then she has been getting more and more brave. If I'm close enough, she'll no longer lunge at me or get down and crawl -- no, now she takes a step or two.

She's really cruising along the furniture now and jumps from one piece to the next. I sat in awe this morning as I watched her walk from the start of our kitchen table to the farthest wall of our kitchen. Her tactic: Crawl up on the table leg; hold on to the top of the table long enough to grab the chair; use the chair to move to her high chair; move along the high chair to the next table leg; cruise from that leg to the next chair, which safely got her to the green wall. All of this so she could try and reach for this blue cross I have hanging from the mirror that is hung way up high on the green wall. Phew... I'm tired just describing this all. Anyway, the point is SHE IS DETERMINED.

She is very proud of herself these days and claps at everything. Her bottle signing is also getting very good, as is her "air eating." Now that Cheerios are her snack of choice, she thinks she is always hungry and pretends to eat them out of thin air. Okay, Emma, I get the point. I swear she is like a human garbage disposal lately!

Peas passed the test, and we just finished pears. Next on the menu: green beans, avocado, and applesauce, although I haven't decided which order yet. BTW, did you know whole peas are a choking hazard? I thought I was all smart buying such a nutritious finger food, only to find out that they need to be either cut in half or crushed.... Boy, I stop reading my books for ONE second, and I become lethal to my child! Yes, an exaggeration, but it is scary to realize that your instincts CAN be wrong sometimes. Thanks to Carrie for letting me know!!!

Okay, 'nuf for now. We're off to watch Uncle Johnny and Auntie Stef graduate college this weekend. Emma is so proud of them -- and me too! She's (aka: I'm) also excited to wear her pretty Easter dress again! :o) I'm sure we'll be back with lots of photos of Johnny and Stef's big day. Have a great weekend everyone!

Fun in the Sun

Random Facts and Photos

Call me lazy, but I thought it might be fun to just give you some random updates on Emma's adventures, along with some just-as-random photos. Enjoy!

Facts:

She is in the 50th percentile in her weight (18 lb, 5 oz) and supposedly off the chart in length (30 in), but I think they measured wrong. My guess is she's more like 29 in.

She is currently eating peas (yes, again) and seems to be doing okay.

She loves to feed herself. So far, we've tried rice cakes, rice pasta, and brown rice. Wow...that's a lot of rice, isn't it?

She can hold her own bottle now, but only does during lunch. (Hey, if I can't nurse her, I reserve the right to hold her for as long as I want...)

She loves to point with her pointer finger (that is, when she's not chewing on it!)

Her fav toy of the month is her push toy thingy. She LOVES the fact that it helps her walk all by herself.

She tries really hard to imitate what you say, but all words seem to end up sounding like mmmmmmmmmom.

She lets you know when she's hungry and even attempts to sign "bottle." (I didn't teach her to sign milk, because formula isn't milk. I'm annoying that way.)

She yawns and rubs her eyes when she's tired.

She is taking two long naps now and is sleeping well at night (but still wakes up before 6am...but I'll take it!)

She clears her voice to get your attention if you ignore for too long (as in 10 seconds!)

She only gets her binkie during naps and at night (at least, on my clock...)

She gets all shy when she "meets" someone new, especially a male. She tilts her head into your shoulder and grins all cute like.

Her summer wardrobe is ridiculously large and fabulous, thanks to some very generous friends. (Hand-me-downs rock!) I can't wait to play dress up!

She enjoys taking her medicine and gets all exicted when she sees it.

She is not afraid of the vacuum cleaner AT ALL and even lets me use it to scoot her along!


Okay, I could go on and on, but then what would I write next week? :o) So without further ado, here are the photos:

Rice cakes (or as Gram and Gramps B would say, Styrofoam cakes) YUMMMMMMMMM!


She's Got Legs (courtesy of stylish boyfriend Cricket!)






Weeeeeeeeee!


I'm Walking, Yes Sireeee!


Cabin-et Fever (Get it?? Okay, maybe I'm getting too much sleep now!)

9 Months

Okay, Miss Emma, I think 14 should be your "lucky" number. First, you get a cousin on your 4-month birthday; then you celebrate 6 months on Valentine's Day; AND to top it all off, you turned 9 months old on Mother's Day. How fun is that!? I guess you like to make sure it's a party every time!!

To think that your next milestone will be 1 year is too much for me to handle right now. I'm still coming to terms with 9 months! How did this happen? What happened to my little 3-month-old peanut? I truly can't believe how much you've grown up.

You are now zooming all over the house. No corner is left unexplored, no object untasted. You truly understand that the world is yours for the taking, and you will take what you please, thank you very much! You LOVE to stand and cruise along furniture, standing toys, and anything that will support your little body. Sometimes you misjudge and take a tumble, but you're a pretty tough cookie. You usually just complain for a second and off you go again. You just started to figure out cabinets and stairs, both of which are being baby-proofed as we speak!

You are very curious, and almost a little more serious lately than when you were younger. You are always checking things out, often peeking around my shoulder to make sure you aren't missing anything. You love the choo-choo train that goes through our backyard and stop everything the second you hear it coming. Hopefully the weather will stay warm soon so you can see it outside as opposed to from the window!

We play all the time, and you love chasing me around your Fisher Price gym set. We crawl through tunnels, play peek-a-boo, and race eachother around this colorful plastic maze. Your giggles tell me you are having just as much of a blast as I am (although that may be you laughing at my fat butt trying to squeeze through the tunnel!) You still enjoy banging on your silver mixing bowls, and your stacker is always a good snack when you feel the urge. I think your top teeth are coming in soon, which means your teething toys have become a must anywhere we go. Of course, a nice cold shopping cart suits you just fine, but isn't quite acceptable to your Daddy, who goes into a panic attack every time you move in for a taste.

Speaking of which, you love any food we give you, but the only one that seems to like your tummy is sweet potatoes, which you have for dinner often. You have oatmeal for breakfast and lunch, and you just started to snack on rice cakes. Hopefully we can expand your diet after we get the go-ahead from your doctor this week. You have been very tolerant of the bland food you've had up until now. I know you're more than ready for the yummy stuff -- I just wish your tummy would cooperate.

You are more vocal than ever, but the only words your father and I are smart enough to understand are mama and dada (which, by the way, get you anything you want!). You still razz a lot and try to raspberry, but right now you usually just produce a whole lot of spit. I'm sorry to say that you may have inherited your raspberry-blowing deficiency from your mother. Hopefully your daddy will have better luck teaching you this trick than he did teaching me! You also like to make this funny squealing noise when you are really excited, which is usually accompanied with your turbo kicking legs. You can wave hello and goodbye, although only when you feel like it, of course.

Although I'm a little nervous to share this, I feel I owe it you after all of my complaining: I am happy to say you have been sleeping great these last few weeks. Your morning nap is like clockwork now, but we are still working on the afternoon nap, which you usually need a little help with about half-way through. Nightime has become Mommy and Daddy time, and for that, we are truly grateful. We aren't quite used to this though, so we often check on you to make sure you are okay. If you happen to wake up during the night for some reason, you are now able to fall back asleep without our help. Usually I don't see your smiling face until morning, when you greet me with the biggest grin and the bluest eyes I have ever seen. Who needs the sun when I have you to brighten my every morning?

The verdict is still out on who you look like most, but your Daddy and I think you look like Emma -- absolutely beautiful and perfect in every way. Your face is so petite, but your blue eyes and infectious grin are big and bright! Your hair is really coming in now and even seems to have a tinge a red in it, which has us all scratching our heads. You wake up with fuzzies on the back of your head all the time, so we're just waiting for the curls to emerge. I think we may even be able to put a bow in your hair in the next month of two!

You are starting to get more comfortable around other people now, and love your grandmas, aunts, uncles, and especially your little cousins, who love to play with you and make you smile. You are happy to let others babysit you, and you even have your first sleepover coming up this weekend with Grandma, Grandpa, and Toby. They are so excited, and I know you're going to have a great time playing and getting lots lof hugs and kisses!!!

So, happy 9-months, bunny. Our adventure is really getting exciting now. Seeing you learn and grow has been such a wonderful blessing, almost as if experiencing a miracle every day. As I watch you from afar, I am just so proud and I have to admit, it is tempting to take credit for you. But as I sit in awe of your beauty and curious mind, I know now more than ever that you are God's creation. I am just someone who got the awesome job of loving you until He needs you back. I promise you that I will do everything in my power to do that job as well as I can, no matter how old you are. I love you!!

Emma and Cricket Visit

The Happy Couple

Here, you try...

Common interests are good.




One of many Emma body slams

Our East Coast Friends

This hostess stuff is exhausting...

Future Husband Found

Well, Miss Emma certainly has all her bases covered. She already has a best friend lined up (Makena), a bodyguard (Evan), and now a boyfriend, whom we shall call "Cricket." The latest edition to her entourage was unmistakable this past weekend, when our friends Cara and Bryan came in from Maryland and brought their adorable little boy with them. The two of them instantly clicked.

In one corner, there is Cricket: the active, yet patient male with a great sense of style and amazing athletic abilities such as standing on his own. In the other corner, we have Emma: the active, yet impatient female who appreciates a well-dressed man and is eager to learn as many tricks as you can teach her.

The outcome: Emma can now wave, say Mama, and is more determined than ever to stand. Cricket is now standing on his own for long periods of time and is more patient than ever after dealing with Emma's countless body slams and hair tugs. I swear he smiled and giggled even more after these episodes! Ahhhh.. true love.

To say the weekend was fun is a complete understatement. Watching these two cuties interact was so cool. They truly had NO PROBLEMS being around each other. In fact, they acted like they have always shared the same home. They played nicely together, happily exchanging toys and drool, but they also did their own thing, knocking each other down or crawling over each other to get to their intended destination. Thank goodness we have photos and videos to remember it all. And yes, to Jeff's dismay, we took the bathtub shot -- it was a must (although it might as well have been an Olympic sport trying to get these two to sit still for one nice shot!)

Of course, it was also nice for me to have a playmate around. Cara and I go WAY back to 6th grade and have had our ups and downs since she moved out east. Thankfully, it was in God's plan for us to reunite for the most exciting times of our lives. We reconnected just before her and Bryan got engaged a little over 2 years ago. I was able to stand up in her wedding, and we ended up "planning" our pregnancies at the same time (without even knowing it). It has been such a blessing having her by my side these last few years. She truly brings a new perspective to my life. We are different, but the same in many ways. I mean how many people can go a year without seeing each other in person, but live together for 5 days straight with total ease. I truly believe we were meant to be friends and will be for many, many, many years ahead.

Okay, okay, back to Emma. As you know, our bunny is already 8 months old and is quickly crawling toward 9 months. She is into everything she shouldn't be and thinks she can stand by herself, although she hasn't quite worked that out with her legs yet. Thank goodness for the cushion of a diaper. I hear nothing but that thud ALL.DAY.LONG.

Food is still a hang up for us. Emma loves anything I give her, but her tummy still isn't sure about anything other than her formula and cereal. Carrots failed, but sweet potatoes and squash seemed to have been okay. Bananas and now peas seem to be questionable. Both showed some signs of reaction, but I am not totally convinced. I stopped bananas before we could get confirmation, and we're still working on peas. I'm not sure how much of this is her system getting used to new foods and how much of it is her system rejecting the foods. Needless to say, I am anxious for our next doctor's appt., which is on May 18. I am ready with a long list of questions!

As I said, Mamamamama is our newest word, and baba is also finding its way into her vocab. Dada is still there, but you need to ask for it a few times before she'll repeat. I don't think she quite knows what the words really mean yet, but they are still music to my ears. That little voice just melts my heart, even when it isn't so little (which is most of the time!)

We've been working on waving for a while, but she seems to have finally picked it up. She will do it in response, but only when she wants to, which seems to be a recurring personality trait. :o)

Her naps and sleep habits are okay on the whole, but still fluctuate between good and bad days/nights. I'm very good about respecting her nap and bed times, but I've come to the conclusion that she'll get as much sleep as she needs. I can't make her stay asleep; I can only make sure she gets the rest when she needs it. If she wakes up, there's not much I can do about it.

That should do it for now. I will be posting photos of our fun weekend with Cara, Bryan, and Cricket over the next few days. Stay tuned!

We Won!!!

Hey everyone! You're persistance paid off -- Emma won the photo contest! Not that we're shocked she is the cutest baby or anything, but it is fun to let the world know too! :o) We even get some cool prizes -- a changing pad, burp cloth and bib gift set. Check it out here.

Thanks to everyone who voted. We love you all!

Our Little Bunny

What's in this thing?

Keep Voting!!!

Remember to keep voting for Emma until Monday!! My friend Cara just started a new web site (www.urbanbabyrunway.com) that reviews hip baby wear and gear. To kick off her site, she is having a photo contest of the cutest baby enjoying the recent spring weather.

Of course, we all know Emma is a shoe-in for this contest (hee, hee!), but we need your help to prove it! Here is the link for voting: Urban Baby Runway

Voting is from 4.10 - 4.17. You are only allowed 1 vote per IP every 14 hours. The winner will be announced on 4.18. If we win, we do get some cute, free stuff, but really it's all about telling the world what we already knew... Emma is the cutest Spring Chicken! :o)

Love you all!
Lisa

Double Trouble

We now have two teeth! The other one popped up on Sunday, and boy must it be bothering her. At least that's what I am attributing her recent melt downs to. It doesn't really seem to be bothering her at night, but she is totally clingy and is going through MAJOR stranger danger. Maybe it has nothing to do with teeth and is just "a stage," but I hope it passes soon. I love my babe, but this whole crying and thrashing business gets old fast! I am already picturing the clashes we may have later in life as my little princess gets more strong willed. Lord, help me!

On that note, it comes as no surprise that she is EXTREMELY determined to stand.I mean, this child is not happy unless she is standing. I leave her alone for a second and she is propped up on something or she is stuck in the squating position on the floor. Not sure if this is a sign of early walking, but I am exhausted. It's like I'm a human jungle gym! I didn't even realize how used to this I was until the other night when she was "playing" on my lap (i.e., climbing up my chest, grabbing my face, pulling my hair, and pinching my neck), and Jeff was like, "Be nice to your Mommy, Emma." He then gives me a kiss and says, "Lisa, are you okay?" Honestly, I didn't even realize that anything out of the ordinary was going on. This is what we do ALL.DAY.LONG. As long as those nails are cut, I'm good!:o)

Emma's turns 8 months on Friday. Can you believe it? I can't - it's crazy how fast this has all gone by. People always tell you that, but like everything in Mommyland, you don't believe it's true until you've experienced it. Nine months used to seem so far away and now it's just around the corner.

I haven't really taken a ton of photos lately, but here's a few of her playing with her favorite "toys." Who needs Fisher Price?